


Shadowboxer

by Brithna



Series: Tidal Project [3]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-15
Updated: 2013-09-15
Packaged: 2017-12-26 15:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/967409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brithna/pseuds/Brithna





	Shadowboxer

“Roy, who’s playing tonight?”

Roy shifted in his seat and smiled. He was hoping she would ask. It had been three weeks since they had been to the _The Club_ for a dose of jazz music.

“That fella you like. Mitchell Downing. Remember him? He’s supposed to be bringing the whole band this time.” Roy watched her in the rear view mirror.

“Yes, I remember.”Miranda said, returning his gaze. “Nine o’clock?”

“Sounds good, Miranda. I’ll bring the other car if it’s ok with you? This thing is too hard to park when it’s crowded”

“Fine.”

Roy got out and went around and opened the car door. Miranda disappeared up the steps of the Elias-Clarke building without another word.  Roy shook his head as he watched her go. Some things never change. At least tonight there would be a break from the familiar.

 _The Club_ , as it was called only because it didn’t have an official name, was a little place down a dark alley in an older part of the city. It opened during the Prohibition Era and had been quietly passed down from generation to generation.  You only got in if you had a membership and even those were mostly obtained because you had a family member vouch for you. Miranda’s father had been a member of the club therefore she was a member, and Roy received membership because Miranda had purchased it for him as a gift and personally introduced him to the owners. That is the one and only gift Miranda Priestly had ever given him and he considered himself well rewarded.

At exactly eight-thirty, Roy arrived with the Porsche and just as he suspected, Miranda was standing on the doorstep already waiting for him. This was a clear sign that she was really looking forward to tonight. By eight-fifty they were walking up to the club with cards in hand. Roy entered the current key code into the number pad and showed his card to the doorman. Miranda followed suit and handed her coat and bag over.

 _The Club_ wasn’t nearly as crowded as Roy had expected but he preferred it that way. It was easier for him to keep tabs on Miranda when he didn’t have to look over people to find her. They never sat together of course but he always had an eye on her in case she needed him to run interference. Most of the people that came here left her alone but every now and then some guy would try to approach her. Miranda made it clear to Roy a long time ago that she was _not_ interested in being approached by anyone and he took that as his order to keep people away from her.

Miranda said her hello’s to some of the regular guys and made a little small talk with Mr. Pelzar, the owner. Roy was pretty sure that wasn’t the guy’s real name but when you ran a place like this it was probably a good idea. Roy knew Miranda didn’t really care for Mr. Pelzar. He always insisted on calling her ‘Priestly’ which she hated, and let him know it on several occasions. Mr. Pelzar still called her that no matter how many times she told him not too. Roy figured it was his way of letting her know that _he_ was the boss in here and Roy wasn’t about to step into that bowl of Cheerio’s.

Once Miranda had her fill of boring conversation she made her way to her usual table in the back corner that was hidden in shadow. Roy made his way up front and shook hands along the way. He liked sitting up close, especially when somebody good was coming. Mitchell Downing had only been here twice before and Roy had been lucky enough to see him both times. The man was a genius at the piano but when he brought his entire band, that was another type of genius all together. 

“Why if it isn’t Roy Gilbert! I swear I’m gonna start to think you’re my biggest fan if you keep showing up to hear me play. How’s it goin’?”

Roy shook hands with Mitchell and said, “Ah, you know I am Mitchell. I told you that last time you were here. It’s good to see you back.”

“Yeah, I was wondering when they would ask me back. You know how Mr. Pelzar is. Tight bastard. I can’t do this shit for free.”

“I hear ya. He tried to stop carrying Mirada’s favorite brandy and she nearly threatened to kill him.”

Mitchell laughed “I’ll bet. How is she these days? I hear she’s one of the only women that even comes in this place. I’m sure she can hold her own though.”

“Oh, yeah. She can hold her own, that’s for damn sure. Go play us somethin’ will ya’, before Pelzar throws you out.” Roy moved to his usual table and sat down. He didn’t like it when people asked him about his boss. To Roy, that was private territory and he would never betray her confidence. After all, that was why he’d lasted this long with Miranda. Trust was everything.

A waiter came over; brought Roy his usual scotch and he settled in for a relaxing evening. Twenty minutes later Mitchell and his band were taking a small break and there was a bit of commotion at the door, which was something you never heard in this place. Roy immediately got up and looked for Miranda. She was sitting right where he had left her and looked lost in thought. Turning his gaze to the door he nearly choked on his cigar.

Andy Sachs was being rescued from the doorman by Mr. Pelzar and ushered over to Mitchell who stood waiting nearby. What in holy hell was she doing here? As luck would have it she was headed in his direction so he could ask her just that very thing.

“Andy! How are ya? You sure are a sight for sore eyes, kid.” Andy still took his breath away. That smile was something you never get tired of seeing.

Andy gave him a hug and plopped down in the chair next to him. “I’m doing great, Roy. You look awesome by the way. Slimming down? I can’t believe you come here, this place is awesome.”

Roy patted his stomach “Yeah, doc said I had to start doing something or die an early death ya, know. Sucks too. I miss my hot dogs.”

“I bet you do. It’s good to see you. It’s been what…four months?”

“Sounds about right. It’s good to see you, too. Miranda’s here by the way. She’s in the back.”

Roy couldn’t help but chuckle when Andy choked on the drink she’d just acquired. “She’s what!”

Roy patted her on the back, “She’s here. She sits back there in the corner. You should go say hello.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that…I...”

“Yeah, you should go say hello. She won’t bite you. I think she misses you...started reading _The Mirror_ on the way to work as soon as you left in fact.”

“Wow…”

“I’ll say. So what brings you here?” Roy figured he would move the topic onto something else besides Miranda since Andy looked like she was about pass out.

“I’m doing an article on Mitchell. He pulled some strings with Mr. Pelzar to allow me in here for one night so long as I swore to not ever give this place up.”

“That’s really something. They never let anyone in here without a membership.”

“Yeah, I’m eternally grateful. I could have just interviewed him on the phone but I wanted to experience him playing in person. The article will definitely be better because of it.”

“Mitchell is fantastic. He’s got a new singer too. She’s something else. In fact here she is.” The band started back up with ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’ and Roy sort of forgot about Andy for a while. The music was just too captivating, not to mention the fact that Ms. Colleen Hunter was killing everyone with her smooth voice. It was almost too much to survive without a drink in your hand.

***

For the love of all things Coco Chanel, what is _she_ doing here? Miranda could not believe her eyes. The band decides to take a break and in walks Andrea Sachs. What are the chances of that happening in this lifetime or the next? Miranda had always assumed those odds were next to impossible. In fact she lived on the hope of that very thing.

And Roy? Roy was hugging her like she some old pal of his. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. She had half a mind to get up and leave but for some _damn_ reason her feet would not move. Fabulous. Now she was stuck here against her will, forced to watch the girl she tried to remember to forget on a daily basis.

 _What_ is she wearing? Jeans? In this place? The girl must have lost what little fashion sense she had gained while under Nigel’s tutelage. Apparently no one cared what she had on though, which wasn’t surprising. Even with the jeans and a hideous, black button down with the sleeves rolled up just a touch, she seemed to attack every fly on the wall. It was that face. That beautiful face and those deep, dark eyes. No one could resist those eyes or that smile. Not even Miranda.

Miranda wondered how she got in here. She knew the name of every person on the membership list and Andrea Sachs was definitely not on the list. Definitely not. She watched her intently for a moment then noticed her pull a small note pad out of her back pocket. Ah. So she was here for _The Mirror_. How thrilling. Miranda thought about leaving again but just as before, her feet did not seem inclined to work.

In light of her new immobility, Miranda ordered another whiskey sour and tried to concentrate on the music. Mitchell Downing certainly deserved an article or two. It seemed like every time she heard his band they sounded better.

Oh, what was happening _now_? Why was she getting up! And _why_ was she wearing those awful boots? Thank God Nigel wasn’t here. He would be flopping around on the floor like a fish.

Miranda downed the rest of her whiskey sour as Andrea navigated through the crowd and headed straight for her table. As soon as this night was over Miranda was revoking her membership to this establishment.

***

Andy downed the rest of her wine and stood up. It was now or never and besides, Roy was right. What’s the worst that could happen? It wasn’t like she was under Miranda’s employment anymore and it probably wasn’t in Miranda to cause too much of a scene here. This place was too refined for that.

Christ, what was it with every guy in here wanting to say ‘hello’ and shake hands like they had known her for years? Did she have three heads or something? And why did Miranda look like she was either about to bolt and run or simply self-combust right there at her own table? She almost looked afraid and Andy hadn’t even done or said anything yet. Hopefully, Andy could get out of this place unscathed.

One thing was for sure. She was not leaving here until Miranda knew how she felt. It was high time Andy stopped bobbing and weaving around the truth.

“Hello, Miranda. May I sit?”

Miranda looked at her like she had just asked Miranda if she wanted to rob a bank. “I suppose. If you must.”

Andy sat down in a chair across from her “Well, then I must. How are you?”

“How am I? What sort of question is that, Andrea?”

Before Andy could reply a waiter came to take her drink order. “I’ll have another glass of red and, she’ll have another whiskey sour.” The waiter walked away to retrieve the drinks.

“How did you know that?” Miranda regarded her with that infamous eyebrow raised. “Miranda, I worked for you for nine months. I paid attention. Simple as that.”

“Well, thank God. I suppose if all you got from that time was knowing how I take my coffee and my liquor then it wasn’t a total waste after all.” Miranda narrowed her eyes and glared back at Andy.

“I don’t think any of it was a waste and you know I learned more than that.”

“Apparently not enough.”

And here we go. Andy knew everything would go straight to Paris but didn’t know how long it would take. “You’re saying that because I left, right? It was _because_ of what I learned that I left. Besides...it wasn’t all about _Runway_.”

“Wasn’t it?”

The waiter came back with the drinks and Andy requested that he just bring the bottle of red to table. She was going to need it. “No Miranda. It wasn’t all about _Runway_. It never was.”

And of course Miranda quickly steered the conversation in another direction just as fast as she brought it to this point. “I assume you are doing well at your job at the little newspaper?”

“Yes, yes I am but you already know that. Roy tells me you read it every morning in the car.” Ha, score one for Andy.

“Roy is getting fired.”

“No, he’s not. You wouldn’t do that. I know you wouldn’t.” Miranda would never admit it but she needed Roy in her life. He was probably one of the only people that she could completely trust. There was no way she was getting rid of him.

“Have you suddenly become a mind reader? How much money do you make in that profession?”

“I’m no mind reader. I just know _you,_ Miranda. As for the income possibilities, who knows? Have Emily look it up on Monday.”

Miranda took a long drink from her glass “My, my you’ve certainly found your voice since you’ve been away haven’t you?”

Yes, indeed she had. Andy had no more time for hesitation or nervousness in her life. All that was out the window. Well except for this…“Yes, I have Miranda. I hope you like it.”

Miranda took another drink and smirked. “I suppose.”

For the next forty minutes they sat there talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. Neither of them bringing up anything of real significance. Andy was beginning to think she was going to fail her mission but she kept trying to find her courage. God knows she had enough wine in her to do it. Maybe that was the problem. Her mind kept drifting in and out of so many thoughts that she couldn’t concentrate.

 Miranda looked so beautiful tonight. She always looked beautiful but tonight she seemed free, even if she still looked scared out of her mind. It was this place. She was relaxed here. Who wouldn’t be with the exception of Andy?

 Why had she thought this was a good idea? Andy couldn’t remember now but something inside her just _knew_ that Miranda felt the same way about her. Something just told her that Miranda wanted her. Always had. Now they were free. Yes, Miranda’s divorce wasn’t final but Andy was no longer an employee of _Runway_ so that made them both free in a way.

Andy snapped out of her thoughts as the band came back from a break and Colleen took to the microphone again.

“Ah, guys I gotta tell ya it’s a really good ego boost for me to sing here. I mean look” She gestured around the room “I’m one of four women in a club full of gorgeous men! Who could ask for more? Oh, and it helps that you clap every now and then too.” She paused for a second while everybody laughed and carried on.

“Alright simmer down boys. Much to Mitchell’s disappointment I am about to sing something that is a personal favorite of mine…he hates it, but I love it, so I win. Some of you might not consider this Jazz…but as I said before, I love it. I guarantee you by the time I’m finished, you’ll love it too, so sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride.”

Mitchell piped up from the piano “I really hate Fiona Apple.”

Colleen turned on him with daggers in her eyes “Well I love her and you’re just jealous! Now…where was I…Oh, yes! Enjoy the ride! Here is a little something called ‘Shadowboxer’.

Andy almost choked. That was one of her favorites and it totally made her think about Miranda every time she heard it and there couldn’t be a more perfect song to help her find her way tonight.

“Are you going to require medical attention?”

“No, Miranda I’m fine. It’s just this song…is really good. Just listen for a second.”

As soon as the first lines came up, Andy turned her focus on Miranda to gauge her reaction. There was none and Andy laughed. Of course there wouldn’t be.

“And what is so funny?”

“You…it’s just you.” Andy poured more wine. “This song reminds me of you every time I hear it. Listen.” Andy sang the words right along with Colleen and kept her eyes on Miranda the whole time. When she got to:

_And you set my soul at ease_

_Then you let_

_Your love abound_

_And you bring me_

_To my knees_

 

Andy stood up and moved her chair closer to Miranda. As she kept singing, Miranda busied herself with Andy’s wine glass. Apparently they were sharing now that Miranda had finished her whiskey sour already. She let Miranda have one sip in then took her hand, which Miranda did _not_ take back. Thank God.

_You made me_

_A shadowboxer, baby_

_I wanna be ready_

_For what you do_

_I’ve been swinging_

_All around me_

_‘Cause I don’t know_

_When you’re gonna_

_Make your move_

 

Miranda rolled her eyes but Andy could tell she wanted to laugh, “Oh, so I turned you into a shadowboxer? I find that highly unlikely and completely ridiculous.”

Andy nodded her head and put a finger on Miranda’s lips so she would remain quiet.

_If I let you_

_Get too close_

_You’ll set your_

_Spell on me_

_So darlin’_

_I just wanna say_

_Just in case_

_I don’t come through_

_I was on to every play_

_I just wanted you_

 

Miranda’s eyes just about popped out of her head and she pulled her hand away from Andy’s grasp. Andy simply grabbed it back. Miranda running away was not in the cards tonight.

“Andrea, release my hand.”

Andy gave up singing and let Colleen do the rest by herself. “No, Miranda. I will _not_ let go of you. I don’t really think you want me to. Why don’t you just listen to the rest of the song?”

Andy loosened her grip on Miranda and as she predicted Miranda left her hand where it lay. As Miranda listened to the rest of the song, Andy took her wine glass back.

The song finally ended and Andy released Miranda’s hand to applaud Colleen’s efforts. “She really is something isn’t she? That was fantastic.” Andy turned her gaze toward Miranda who was blushing and pouring more wine into Andy’s glass.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Andy scoffed “Oh, come on! You know she sounds great.”

Miranda waved a hand in the air “Alright, she sounds great. Happy?”

“Yes. Very much. Thank you.” She gave Miranda her best smile. “Oh, I forgot to answer your question.”

Miranda blinked “What question?”

“You asked if you had turned me into a shadowboxer…yes. Yes, you have. Until tonight.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Andy took a deep breath and reached for Miranda’s hand again. Miranda did not pull away but gave Andy a hard glare. “I’ve been swinging around you for a long time Miranda. Trying to avoid getting caught up in you. Caught up in the real you…not the _Runway_ yo _u_. When I couldn’t keep up anymore, I left.”

“Andrea, you are intoxicated.”

“That very well may be but it doesn’t mean I’m not being truthful. I would never lie about how I felt. How I still feel. I was just trying to not get trapped inside you. But I did anyway. I guess I just couldn’t help it. You’re too much for me to resist. You always have been. ” How brilliant. Just say it all at once then it’s over! Andy took a long drink and a deep breath wondering what Miranda was going to do.

Miranda sat for a long moment staring at her and Andy decided to pay attention to the band for a while and let Miranda think of something to say. It was a little hard to breathe when she realized that Miranda was still holding her hand. That had to be good right?

“Andrea I did it on purpose…”

Andy forgot about the band again and turned around sharply. “What? You did what on purpose?”

“Wait just a moment.” Miranda tightened her hold on Andy’s hand and ordered two coffees. When the waiter scurried off again she started over.

“I did it on purpose. I didn’t tell you about the deal I made with Irv. I gave you that nasty little speech in the car…all of it, on purpose. Even the ‘smart, fat girl’ comment…on purpose. It nearly killed me to say that and it didn’t even work.”

Andy was speechless. She wasn’t sure what Miranda was talking about but the fact that Miranda looked like she was going to cry put Andy slightly off kilter.

“I was trying to drive you away.” Miranda let go of Andy’s hand and brushed her cheek with her index finger.

So it was true. Miranda did feel the same way. “Why? Why did you try to drive me away? Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Miranda rolled her eyes and took the coffees from the waiter. Andy sat in a daze as she watched Miranda pour a ton of cream and sugar into one of the cups and hand it to her. “Yes, Andrea. I know how you like your coffee. I paid attention as well.”

Andy nodded her thanks and took a sip. “Answer my question Miranda. Why?”

“Like the song says ‘to save the pain of once my flame and twice my burn’. I was losing my resolve and I thought if I dared to venture out…you would eventually leave. So why not make you leave before I could allow you to really hurt me?”

“I would have never hurt you.”

“And I would have never hurt you…but it seems we never gave ourselves a chance to see that.” Miranda turned her attention to her coffee and the band.

Andy followed her move. What an interesting turn of events. Andy took a deep breath again and felt a warmth spread up her arm as Miranda laced her fingers with Andy’s. Could this be the beginning that Andy had been praying for? But wait. Just because Miranda felt that way back then did not mean she still felt the same way about Andy now.

“Miranda…do you still feel the same way?”

Miranda looked at her with what was almost amusement in her eyes “You mean am I still in love with you?”

Oh, _hell_. She had not expected Miranda to say that. “Yes…yes, I suppose that is what I am asking.”

“Andrea, yes I am still in love with you. I tried to not be, but I simply cannot avoid it. As you said earlier, you are too much for me to resist.” Suddenly Miranda stood up. Andy started to move but Miranda put a hand on her shoulder and leaned down, whispering into her ear. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave.”

Okay then. Andy downed the rest of her coffee and watched as Miranda gracefully moved through the crowd. She found Roy and had a brief conversation then was on her way back. Several men stopped her on her way, but she politely brushed them off, never taking her eyes off Andy.

Miranda sat down and took up Andy’s hand again “Andrea…”

“Yes?”

“Come home with me tonight. Come home with me…I need you. I need you as my lover, my friend, and much more. Just come home with me tonight. Please? Roy is taking the car. We can catch a cab.”

“No more boxing? No more running or driving each other away?”

“No…no more. Ever.”

Andy stood up and pulled Miranda to her feet. “I think that’s probably the smartest idea you’ve ever had Miranda. Let’s go.”

THE END

Note: I really enjoyed doing this one. Putting Roy in there was pretty cool since I personally haven’t read anything from his POV. I’m sure there are fics out there – but I’ve not seen one. I think one day in the future I’ll try to do something with him. He’s a pretty cool in my opinion.


End file.
